Hey guys,

My other car was hit by another vehicle at low speeds by they took out my left front fender and part of the door. I would like to do a cash settlement on the repairs because the car is pretty old (95 Camry) and it wouldn't be worth it to repair professionally. The other party's insurance AAA told me to bring my car to this random body shop I've never heard of and they gave me an estimate of a little less than $1800 for the repairs. I felt that was a little low and I told AAA that I would look for my own body shop to bring it to.

Do any of you guys know of some good body shops that would write up a good estimate for my vehicle? The KBB value of my car is only $2200 so do you think it would be possible for me to receive close to that value? I don't mind if they salvage my car since it's just a beater anyways.

Thanks!

 

Blossom Valley Collision in San Jose. That's where I went to get my estimate. I got a great quote for the small damage done to my car.

 

From what I understand about how insurance companies work, they will give you the money their adjuster believes will cover the cost. Just because you bring in estimates from other shops (especially if it's out of the AAA network), doesn't mean they're going to up the amount they're going to give you to fix it.

From my experiences, and it seems that most people that are attracted to hitting my car have state farm, they either talk directly to a shop in their network, taking you out of the equation, or they'll cut you a check for whatever their adjuster thinks it's worth. This way, it takes out the possibility of you having a buddy and writing an estimate for way more than the damage really is.

That being said, RJ's Paint Shop in Pleasanton seems to give pretty high quotes.

 

Under State Law you can take it to any shop of your choosing and get an estimate from anybody you choose. Like said already they may or may not ante up.

For Walnut Creek here ya go:

Cook's.

B&S on Hacienda in Dublin.

RJ's already mentioned.

 

Thanks a bunch guys I'll be giving some shops a call this week.

 

Capitol Auto Collision in San Jose. They work with AAA and Hertz so if you need a rental they'll provide you with one on the spot!

 

If you want a high estimate
Cavallino Collision Repair in Palo Alto - but I wouldn't have work done there.
Cavallino Collision Center

 

You've pretty much screwed yourself by taking it in to their shop. You can get other estimates, but they will tell you that since their guys already gave an estimate of $1800, that is all they'll pay.

 

+1 BVC. i had my STI wing, scoop, skirts, strakes taken there. great price. cool cat. i sold my NRG harness to the kid with the Mustang that works there. we got to talking and ended up having him paint me shizz. lOL

 

For a settlement, go with the most expensive place obviously. I like these guys for actually doing the work, and their prices aren't exactly cheap either

Offering top quality Auto body repair services for Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Santa Clara and more

 

For a settlement, go with the most expensive place obviously. I like these guys for actually doing the work, and their prices aren't exactly cheap either

Offering top quality Auto body repair services for Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Santa Clara and more

THIS^ and the previous statement. They cannot tell you which shop to use, however they may only want to pay up to a certain point. My insurance recommended places and that's how I found Da-les. Only had to deal with them a few times for accidents but neither insurance company said anything about taking it there and I also got a quote from them for a cash settlement too.

 

I just had one entire side of my car worked on by Pan American. I was absolutely blown away with their level of professionalism, service, and the work they did.

My car looks better than when I picked it up at the dealership last summer.

http://www.pabody.com/